James Beard contenders: Houston restaurants show off flavor, finesse

Which chefs and restaurants will receive James Beard Awards in the category of Best Southwest Chefs and Restaurants? The dining scene in Phoenix has some stiff competition in Houston.
Dominic Armato/azcentral.com

In recent years, Houston has dominated the James Beard Awards' category of best Southwest chefs and restaurants. The Arizona Republic's dining critic traveled to Houston to size up the competition.

Not exactly a leisurely pace, but when you have just a weekend to check out the dining scene of the nation’s fourth-largest city, cramming multiple lunches and dinners into every available minute is the only acceptable option.

But it's not just about size. In recent years, Houston has dominated the James Beard Awards' category of best Southwest chefs and restaurants (Texas and Arizona compete in the same region). With awards season underway, and the 2018 semifinalists just announced, it seemed like an opportune time to visit Houston.

Here’s a peek into what’s going on in this culinary hotbed and highlights from the trip.

Lunch at Killen’s STQ

One of the nation’s famed purveyors of meat in a state that’s more than a little obsessed with the stuff, Ronnie Killen opened Killen’s STQ in December 2016. The joint combines white tablecloths and a casual feel, bringing a smoky ethos and a little refinement to the marriage of his two signature genres (steak + BBQ = STQ).

A dark, rich gumbo ($10) served over jasmine rice is loaded with smoked pork and a bevy of tender black eyed peas. Crisp, tempura-fried pork ribs ($14) with a splash of spicy mustard sauce are laden with a layer of smoke so thick you’d think they were camped out in the back of the smoker for a few days.

Vegetables get in on the action too. Plump roasted corn ravioli ($13) sit in a sweet and silky corn milk bath and sport a dab of smoky bacon jam for thematic unity. But the killer app is a Frisbee-size chicken fried steak ($20) with mashed potatoes and cream gravy, made with a juicy slab of rib eye instead of the typical tough and chewy tenderized cut. Why don’t more places do this?

Dinner at Theodore Rex

I tried to steal Theodore Rex and take it home with me, but it didn’t quite fit in my carry-on. Justin Yu’s hotly anticipated replacement for the James Beard Award-winning Oxheart makes me weak in the knees.

T. Rex is a five-tool player of a restaurant: charming and cozy room; effervescent and knowledgeable staff; quirky and thoughtful wine list; oversize bang for the buck; and a menu bursting with flavor and finesse.

Ever the supporting player, white rice’s gentle countenance gets a rare turn in the spotlight, stealing the show from the accompanying butter beans, rosemary and lemon zest ($12).

If ethereal pakora-battered oyster mushrooms ($12) served beside a bowl of creme fraiche and mushroom jus are, as the staff describes, their version of “chip and dip,” they’re better suited to viewing a coronation than a playoff game.

The tomato toast ($12) is ticketed for signature dish status. It's a riff on pan con tomate on thick Texas toast with a miniature garden of fresh tomatoes and herbs atop a smear of reduced “tomato fondant” that plays Venus to tomato paste’s Vulcan.

But the climactic head trip is Yu’s Paris-Brest ($12), crisp, doughnut-shaped pastry filled with a thick layer of sweetened Swiss cheese cream. Rarely has something so unfamiliar immediately felt so right.

Dinner at Underbelly

Chris Shepherd took home a Beard Award for "Best Chef: Southwest" in 2014 for his work at Underbelly. The self-billed “story of Houston food” is a good reminder of why this kind of rustic, muscular, no-holds-barred cookery has had so much staying power. But calling this creative cuisine for bacon lovers would do Underbelly a grand disservice.

Ribbons of house-cured charcuterie ($24) — tessa, coppa and lonza — are the apotheosis of creamy, porcine bliss. Rough-hewn grits ($24) with red eye gravy and a slippery egg come in a bowl, but are so rich that a demitasse cup could feed a family of four for a week. Even the vegetables can be hefty. A blackened chunk of butternut squash ($16) is bathed in molasses and peppered with crunchy toasted granola.

But Shepherd incorporates Houston’s international flavors as well in dishes like Vietnamese snapper with rice noodles ($36) and a fabulous take on Korean ddukbokki ($15) — chewy, lightly crisped rice cakes cavorting in liquid chile fire with piles of braised goat.

Lunch at Himalaya

Houston boasts an impressive array of international cuisines, and Saturday’s lunch(es) skipped the mainstream interpretations of international flavors and mainlined the source. Lunch No. 3, after delicious stops at Banana Leaf and Mala Sichuan Bistro, was the bold Pakistani fare of Kaiser Lashkari’s Houston landmark.

Himalaya is a no-frills joint. The walls are literally covered with glowing press clippings and the tables are filled with tiny bowls of intensely seasoned dishes orbiting mountains of delicate, scented biryani and baskets of crisp naan.

Shahi chicken korma ($13.50) is heavily laden with cinnamon and clove; and a thick dal fry ($9.99) is rich enough to render meat superfluous. Chargha tandoori ($15.50) transcends the roasted chicken genre, shaming the dry, rewarmed birds of so many restaurants. The signature chicken hara masala ($12.99) is bathed in a sauce that tastes like tomatillo salsa spent a semester abroad in Karachi.

Dinner at BCN Taste & Tradition

Kai notwithstanding, white tablecloth fine dining feels like a distant memory in Phoenix, but BCN Taste & Tradition makes a compelling case for the institution in Houston. Named for the Barcelona airport code, BCN presents Luis Roger’s modern Spanish cuisine in a carefully appointed bungalow run by an unflappable staff that marries familiarity and finesse.

Every item on the table is a visual work of art, starting with signature gin and tonics, such as saffron with star anise ($14) or honey gin with chamomile and bitter lemon ($15) — each a still life in a miniature fishbowl.

Dinner at Nancy’s Hustle

A freshly minted newcomer, Nancy’s Hustle bills itself as a modern bistro, but it brazenly cultivates some serious throwback charm. With a reel-to-reel feeding classic tunes through vintage speakers, this buzzing hot spot bathed in yellow neon and analogue sound feels like a PG version of Boogie Nights: The Restaurant.

Jason Vaughan’s menu is both eclectic and familiar without feeling forced. Dishes like tiny lamb-stuffed Turkish dumplings ($12) with tomato vinaigrette and a blast of dried herbs are on the same list as a comically retro (and just plain awesome) plate of raclette cheese ($10) broiled over tender potatoes with gherkins and onions.

Nancy cakes ($12), thick and freshly griddled, pair with cultured butter and the saline pop of smoked trout roe. A cognac-scented country terrine ($12) built on silky sweet rabbit livers is drop-dead perfect.

Are savory cheese desserts having a moment in Houston? The only thing that could make a wedge of barely sweetened Parmesan cheesecake with a drizzle of honey and a bracing shot of cracked black pepper feel more right is if it were brought to the table by Rollergirl.

Lunch at Provisions

Brunch goers sick of halfhearted vehicles for selling mimosas may find the antidote at the casual side of dual-concept The Pass & Provisions.

A gently charred pizza ($18) smothered in onion soubise with mushrooms and truffled cheese has hangover cure written all over it. Eggs are put to glorious use, cooked directly into crisp, griddled dosa ($14) that’s folded around lentils and a potent, spiced venison stew before it’s splashed with chimichurri.

Whoever figured out that okonomiyaki ($13) would be the perfect stand-in for blini is a genius. Dressed with smoked salmon, pickled onions and cream cheese, this crossover take on the cabbage-stuffed Japanese pancake couldn’t have felt more at home.

Having barely scratched the surface, it was hard to leave Houston so soon, but Provisions saw fit to send us off in style.